Topband: V160HD Titanex

[john battin]

All of my antenna came by air. No big problems... You can go to the airport and pick it up after some customs hassle or they will transfer it to a truck carrier and it will show up at your house. The communications are sporadic .... you can go for weeks with no response, and then there will be a period in which they respond rapidly. Once I got into a project they were pretty good to deal with. I think I have been their best customer.

John K9DX
 
> Date: Wed, 7 Jul 2010 09:32:01 +0200
> From: carsten.esch at appello.de
> To: topband at contesting.com
> Subject: Topband: V160HD Titanex
> 
> Hi Joe and the list ...
> 
> As we were the 'other vendor' I think I have to put some things straight 
> ...
> 
> We never said IF we can get the product - we are getting products from 
> Titanex at an steady stream (for end users it is difficult to contact 
> them - I agree) ...
> 
> We got a quote for air shipping for you. Price for air shipping was 
> about 40% of the price of a NEW antenna (you had a V160S and now want an 
> V160HD). So please compare apples with apples. As you know the V160HD 
> weights roughly 100kg where the V160S only weighs a fraction of this. 
> This results in a BIG difference for shipping of course.
> 
> As we told you further Ocean shipping not only would be around the same 
> as air shipping (because all fees are based on a 1 to minimum) but also 
> the cardboard tubes are not really suited for see transport (as our 
> forwarder told us).
> 
> 73ss
> 
> Carsten, DL6LAU
> 
> -----
> 
> 
> 
> Folks, this past winter my V160S was destroyed by the winds in Colorado. I 
> have been trying in vain to replace this antenna with a Titanex V160HD and 
> nothing has worked. The manufacturer, Titanex, was extremely slow in 
> responding to repeated requests about the availability and shipping to the US. 
> Finally they got back to me and said that they were having "trouble" with their 
> export license and could not export to the US. I then tried to go through 
> another vendor in Europe who indicated that IF they could get the product from 
> Titanex they could export. Investigating further I found out that it could not 
> be sent via a container in an Ocean going vessel without special handling. 
> Lastly, the cost to have it flown to the US was virtually the same or more than 
> the cost of the antenna in the first place. 
> 
> I am now wondering how in the world all the US hams who own a Titanex V160 HD 
> ever got the thing in the first place.
> 
> Is there anyone out there that owns a V160HD and wants to part with it ? I 
> really do want to put up the same antenna or even another V160S. Or is there a 
> special secret to getting these things over here from Europe ?
> 
> I must say this has been a frustrating experience at the very least.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Joe K8FC
> 
> 
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